Even if the earth is not the hottest ever, should we not worry about the recent rate of change? Should we not follow the agreement from the Conference of Parties for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), COP 28?
For a longer-term perspective, see the graph below:
We can see that increases this rapid and sharp occurred long before humanity existed, and that they generally did not continue. Nor is there evidence that current warming has been harmful. Fewer people die from excess warmth than from excess cold, plants grow better when they are warm, and there have not been more climate-disaster-related deaths.
There is also no evidence that reducing carbon dioxide emissions would affect the trend. That is a hypothesis based on models, which so far have failed.
Over the past 30 years, trillions have been spent on wind and solar, and the world’s dependence on hydrocarbon fuels has only decreased from 87% to 82%.
At the recent COP 28 in Dubai, chaired by Sultan al-Jaber, the chairman said that phasing out fossil fuels would send humanity back into caves. Nevertheless 100 countries promised to do it.
Additional information:
- Summary of important provisions in COP 28 final agreement and commentary by the Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP, sepp.org)
- Commentary by Prof. Peter St Onge
- Reports from the NIPCC (Non-governmental International Panel on Climate Change)